Season:  Summer, Autumn

Type:  Big dishes

Difficulty:  Easy

Serves:  6 at home or 12 tastes in the classroom

Fresh from the garden:  basil, zucchini, onions, garlic, celery

 Recipe source: Adapted from Stephanie Alexander’s Kitchen Garden Cooking with Kids

• metric measuring spoons & cups
• chopping boards & non-slip mats
• knives, 1 small, 1 large
• slotted spoon
• large non-stick frying pan & lid
• 7 small bowls
• tea towel
• olive piper
• tongs
• wooden spoon
• serving plates

• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds (or pinenuts)
• 3-4 basil leaves
• 6 small zucchini
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 50 g feta
• 2 sticks celery
• 6 large green olives
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons sultanas
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup red-wine vinegar
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

• Set out your equipment and ingredients.

Toast the sunflower seeds (or pinenuts)

• Heat the frying pan and toast the seeds (or nuts) over medium heat.  When golden, scoop out with the slotted spoon and set aside.

Prepare the ingredients

• Set out the chopping boards and knives.  Slice the zucchini into rounds 5 mm thick.  As you prepare the following ingredients place them in small bowls and set aside.  Rinse the basil leaves, dry by rolling in the tea towel, then tear into pieces.
• Peel the onion halve it from top to bottom, turn the cut side down and cut into fine half circles.
• Peel and chop the garlic.
• Crumble the feta.
• Chop the celery into 5 mm (very fine) slices.
• Use the olive piper to remove the pip from the olives.  Chop the stoned olives into several pieces.

Cook the zucchini

• Heat half the remaining oil in the frying pan over medium heat.  Fry the zucchini, cut side down, for about 5 minutes – the cut side should be a rich brown colour.  Using the tongs fry for 2 minutes on the other side.  Remove the zucchini to the dinner plate.
• Cook the other vegetables
• Add the onion and garlic to the pan and fry, stirring with the wooden spoon, until soft – add a few more drops of oil during cooking, if necessary.
• Add the tomato paste, celery and sultanas and cook gently for 5 minutes.  Add the olives and stir to mix well.  Return the zucchini to the pan, cut side up.
• Increase the heat.  Scatter in the sugar, followed by the vinegar, and shake the pan to mix.  Reduce the heat to medium.  Cover and cook for a further 5 minutes.  Uncover and taste for salt and pepper.
• Spoon onto the serving dishes and scatter with the toasted seeds (or nuts), feta and torn basil leaves.

• Toasting seeds
• Stoning olives